Monday, March 31, 2008

An example of how a false rape claim hurts not just men but the women who love them

As the following story illustrates, false rape claims primarily hurt the men accused, of course, but they also hurt the women who love them. (Also hurt, but in a far less direct way, are the women who have yet to come forward with legitimate rape claims because the liars add to the public's skepticism about rape claims.)

It is difficult to understand why some radical feminists and rape counselors insist that women don't lie about rape because assertions that dismiss the damage to male victims also dismiss the damage to the women who love them. In short, women don't benefit by pretending other women don't lie about rape.

Sugababe Amelle Berrabah has spoken out about false allegations that her boyfriend Freddie Fuller raped her younger sister Samiya.

The popstar revealed that last year's events made her feel like she was having a "nervous breakdown" and that it almost destroyed her relationship with Fuller.

Fuller was accused of rape by Samiya in January 2007. However, police later revealed that he had been five miles away at his parents' home at the time of the incident.

Further contradictions in Samiya's statement meant that no charges were brought against Fuller, who was cleared in October.

Afterwards Berrabah's sister confessed that the event may have been just a "bad dream".

Berrabah told The Sun: "I feel like I have had a nervous breakdown. I just shut off like a switch, my whole body.

"Sometimes I’d have panic attacks. I physically and mentally couldn’t handle it. I just wanted to go into a room and never leave.

"We have been living like hermits for months. It doesn’t seem real. The whole thing has been a huge mental strain, there’s so much to take in.

"Talking about her sister's confession, she commented: "To turn around and say, 'I must have been dreaming', I need more than that. She was like my best mate, we’d do everything together. I feel I’ve lost a piece of me."

The singer added: "It is horrible hearing what people have to say. Hearing your boyfriend being called a rapist is awful. It makes me feel sick, people whispering about us. It has really messed up both of us in the head.

"It did put a strain on our relationship for ages. We’ve only just started getting back to normal. We are starting again and living our lives properly at last."